The Tale of the Broken One
by LonelyAura
Summary: This is Itachi's life, his hardships, his adventures... and his death. How did he become the man he became? What influenced his choices? These are what. HIATUS! THIS WILL BE CONTINUED AT THE END OF SUMMER!


**The Tale of the Broken One**

_Yes, I am starting yet ANOTHER story that I can't keep up with… I'm sorry to those who will have to deal with the slow updating on this…_

_Buuuuttt… I've got up to Itachi's 7th birthday planned out! YAY!_

_Summary- This is Itachi's life and a little beyond. It may change with oncoming chapters of the Manga. Though it's mostly rated T, there are M chapters._

_Onto the story!_

**Introduction to the World**

A woman with long black hair stood at a counter, in what seemed like a traditional Japanese kitchen, paused with her knife held just above the carrots she was chopping. Her lips were pursed, an expression of discomfort on her face. She shakes her head and resumes chopping.

After ten minutes, she stoped again, set her spoon from the soup she had been making and walked out the door, while wincing every few minutes. She continued for awhile until she came to a building with a blue star on the front, and in the middle of that a red and white fan. She stepped inside quickly after a shudder.

"Fugaku." Uchiha Mikoto called out the moment she set foot inside the place. A man with dull-but-dark brown hair looked up from where he was reading some papers.

"Hai?"

"They're starting again. I don't think it's a false alarm." She said. Fugaku ground his teeth.

"Let's go." And he started at a fast walk to out the door, his wife following. After five minutes, Mikoto began whimpering. Two minutes later, she collapsed.

Mikoto's pregnancy had gone wrong from the start. In the first four months, she had cramps and would pass blood constantly. At five months, she had began 'labors' off and on that had been managed to be stopped by the medic-nin. Sadly, her seventh month had gone badly, as she had more, longer-lasting false labors, which would stop on their own, and she had been due to begin bed rest earlier, had her husband not fought so hard against it. The set date had been June seventh, which was the next day. She was now thirty weeks pregnant.

Fugaku turned lightning fast, picked her up, and fled to the rooftops, so no civilian would see. He sped through, clutching his wife stiffly, and arrived at the hospital within a few moments.

"She's gone into labor!" He told the receptionist loudly. She jerked her head up from some papers, and pressed a button. The hospital was equipped should any pregnancy have gone the way Mikoto's had. She motioned to a wheelchair and Fugaku, catching her meaning, put his wife there.

She was rushed up to the room, and they began sedating her with some general pain-killers as they got to work.

**X**

Three. Why did that number hold such a meaning in life? Three weeks without food, three days without water, three hours without shelter in the extreme, three minutes without breathing. Three tomoe in the sharingan, three days in the Mangekyo(which was the equivalent to three seconds in the real world), and three days his wife had been in labor.

She had been in labor the whole time, while the clan shifted around the hospital nervously(and with this child, the total would come to three hundred in Konoha, not counting the thirty or so who lived around the east of the Fire Country). And the most worrisome; three minutes his child had gone without breathing as he was brought into the world.

They had saved the boy, thank the gods, but the doctor had warned him that there could be brain damage.

In the next few days(three), the Uchiha were allowed to visit the heir, who had been named Itachi by Fugaku. The child was healthy, besides being small and quiet. On the fourth day, they let Itachi out, but his mother would have to stay, as she was weak, and close to death.

Fugaku sighed. He had too many missions to take care of a young child… so he would just have someone else do it. He stepped into the waiting room to look for a cousin of his…

"Akiho." He called out. A woman with dark brown hair in a topknot looked up. "Please come inside." She nodded and stood up. She was a tall woman with an emotionless face, with narrow black eyes.

"I have too many missions to take care of Itachi full-time, and Mikoto is ill. Would you be willing to take him?" She nodded, but knew that she would have to cancel many missions. To put it simply, she was a die-hard Uchiha, with no life outside the mission. But, she did not want to give up her privilege to this, as it would put her in a better light with the other clansmen(not as if she was in a bad light… just unnoticed).

"Fugaku-sama, Mikoto-sama may or may not live, but her chances are rising." The nurse whispered in his ear when he finished speaking to Akiho. He nodded.

"Do you know what happened exactly?"

"It seems she just has an inborn problem with giving birth." The woman spoke. Fugaku sighed wearily.

"Very well." He stepped back inside the waiting room to deliver the news of Mikoto. "It is likely that my wife will live," He started. He had to wait a few minutes for the cheers to die down, though. "and it is unnecessary for you to remain." One or two groans came from the younger people, but were quickly shushed by others.

When the clan drained out, he turned to Akiho. "Come." And they walked, taking all of thirty minutes, to the head family's house. Fugaku began taking bottles of instant milk, diapers, and other things into an old, wrought-iron crib to transport to Akiho's house.

"You will be fine?" Fugaku asked. She nodded and readjusted her hold on the infant.

"Let's go then."

They traveled to her house, and began setting things up in the guest bedroom. The new father turned to her.

"Thank you for doing this, Akiho." She nodded.

"It's an honor to do this for the clan head."

**X**

Akiho was sure that she had done everything right. She took care to support Itachi's head; would change his diaper every three hours, dirty or not(clean his genital carefully as well); giving him a sponge bath every other day; feeding him every three hours(2.5 ounces, burping him every .5 ounces), but he never would cry. He was healthy, and was gaining weight, but he refused to cry. At one point there was a commotion caused by some genin going after Tora, but he didn't even blink.

She had tried snapping in his ears, where his eyes would flicker to her and away, which proved he was not deaf, but… What was she going to say to Fugaku if his son turned out to be retarded*?

Akiho had been watching Itachi for two weeks, with visits to the hospital to see his mother in the second one. Fugaku would visit every day for an hour, but he would either be tired as hell, or smelling suspiciously of alcoholic beverages.

Now, today was as normal as any other day. She did the usual routine with the kid, and had set him down when a fierce knocking sounded at the door. As usual, Itachi blinked, looked up, but didn't cry.

"Akiho!" Oh yes… one of her co-workers. "There's been an attack at the west tower! We need you there!"

"I can't go, I have to watch the kid."

"Forget him, we need you!" He yelled. "The mission will be long, maybe a week, but it'll pay well…"

"Listen, give me a few minutes and I'll go with you, okay?" She answered, knowing this baka would never give in. He nodded.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" She spoke, making the appropriate hand sign. One popped next to her and disappeared into the kitchen, while she left out the door. After ten minutes, she came back with a man.

"He'll watch the kid. Let's go." The two ninja left.

"Listen, Eri. You will follow everything on that list for the next week word for WORD. Do you understand me?" The clone of Akiho asked. He nodded quickly. "If this interferes with your job, you can ask your son to watch him. That is, if Obito's not as incompetent as his mother…" He nodded again, and the clone made a hand sign, poofing out of existence.

The man shifted from one foot to the other for a few moments, then sighed. He had to get Obito and his second cousin. Obito would be graduating from the academy soon, and he was going to take care of his second nephew for awhile, who was called Shisui; a happy little three year old.

"Okay, Itachi. I have to pick up your cousins… would you hate a trip?" He muttered. Itachi just moved his hand slightly.

"Come on." He said to the baby. He searched for awhile until he found a carrier and a bag, in which he put a few diapers and bottles filled with formula.

"Let's go meet your cousins."

Eri stepped out the door into the bright June sun. The baby awoke immediately, his eyes roaming as far as they would go. Akiho's house had no true colors, and she had not thought to get him toys, thinking that holding him would be enough. Itachi had not been exposed to any bright colors, and in his young mind, he didn't know whether to shut his eyes in a wince, or open them as far as they would go.

It took Eri about ten minutes to walk to the daycare for Shisui, whose parents were often busy. He was on the tall side for three, coming up just past his knee(no rhymes were intended…). He had odd, hair, which was spiky, but the tips were curled.

"Hi Eri-ojisan! What's that thing you're carrying? Is that a baby inside? Is it a boy or girl? What's it's name?" Shisui rambled, tugging on his sleeve. He chuckled.

"You've been spending too much time around Obito, kid. This is a baby-carrier, yes, there is a baby inside. HIS name is Itachi. Do you remember when you're parents left you at the daycare in a rush? He was being born then."

"Cool! Can he talk yet? Can he laugh? Sit up? Walk?" He continued as they started walking to the academy. Eri sighed.

"No, no, no, and no." They arrived at the Academy, where Obito was just walking out of.

"Hi dad! You'll never believe- hey, what's that?" Obito asked, cutting himself off.

"This is Itachi, a new cousin. He'll be staying with us for a week." He told the nine year old. He nodded.

"Let's go home now. I think the baby's tired." Eri spoke. To tell the truth, though, Itachi seemed agitated, his baby fists clenching and unclenching, and his mouth making little sucking noises.

"I don't wanna go home yet…" Shisui whined. Eri sighed.

"Then how about we go see Lady Mikoto?" The Man suggested.

"Yay!" Obito exclaimed. Mikoto was one of the few Uchiha who did not glare at him for his heritage. He was part Nara, his grandfather being full. His mother had developed the sharingan, though not higher than a tomoe in each eye, at age ten, which made the Uchiha assume that he would get it early, if not powerful.

"Wooh!" Shisui copied. He didn't know what was so great about this Mikoto, but if Obito liked her, he liked her.

They walked to the hospital, the kids running forward every so often and urging Eri to go faster.

"We're here to see Uchiha Mikoto." He told the receptionist. She nodded and motioned him to follow.

They were brought to a room with a bed in the middle, which contained Mikoto, who was reading a book.

"Good day, Lady Mikoto!" Eri called out. Mikoto looked up with surprise, melting into joy at the sight of her child.

"Ah, Eri-san! How are you? And what happened to Akiho-san?" She greeted.

"I'm fine, thanks," He told her as he took Itachi from the carrier. "Akiho went on a mission that she couldn't turn down. She asked me to care for Itachi for a week."

"Okay then. But I should be out of the hospital in a few days. Thanks for watching him though." She said. He passed her Itachi.

"Of course!"

Mikoto smoothed her hand down her son's head. She would never cease to be amazed by children, and what they turned into.

"Lady Mikoto?" Obito asked. Aforementioned woman turned to him.

"Yes Obito?"

"Well, me and Shisui never got to see Itachi-kun, and I was wondering if I could hold him…" He trailed off.

"By all means!" She agreed. "Sit right here on the bed and I'll pass you him." Obito obeyed her instructions, and held the baby in his arms. Shisui skipped next to him to see.

"Cool…" The three year old muttered, putting his finger for Itachi to hold.

**X**

"Goodbye Lady Mikoto!" Eri said. She waved as they walked out the room.

They had talked for a few hours, in which Itachi had gone through a diaper change and a bottle. They were now walking back to Akiho's house.

"Let's see…" Eri muttered. He scanned the list over, being sure to double check everything. The thing that was circled in bright red, though, was ''Itachi does not cry''.

They entered the house, and Eri got the three dinner and ready for bed. They had miso soup and oronigi as the main course, with some pocky as dessert.

Obito was to give Shisui a bath, before taking one himself. Eri, in the meantime, was giving Itachi a sponge bath and a bottle. He set the alarm clock for three hours in the guestroom, set up a spare futon for Obito in Akiho's room, and put all the kids to sleep.

**Owari**

_Not an incredible ending, but things will get better when I only have to write from Itachi's POV._

_*= Retarded is not an insult. It is a shortened version of 'mentally retarded', which is a condition of the brain. The 'politically correct' term can be applied to many things. I hate how people have turned completely normal words into insults._

_Eri means protector in Japanese; it's a reference to both what he does, and how he dies, much like Shisui. Shisui means Shi-death, and sui-water._

_This story is my tribute to Itachi Uchiha. I have 24 minutes until the next day(June 10__th__) starts._

_Happy birthday Itachi!_

tanjou-bi Omedetou Itachi!

_ハッピーバースデーイタチ__!_


End file.
